About Time!
by bandgeeksarecool3
Summary: AU where nothing terrible happened to Hannah and Beth. Josh is still around. This story focuses mainly around Chris and Ashley, and life for them. Will have the other pairings of Josh and Sam, Matt and Emily, and possibly Mike and Jessica. Shit summary is shit. Now has a companion story(!) called: Unexpected Promises
1. Finally

**Shit happens**

Chris was quite sure that he was shocked when Josh had come to him, asking for advice on how to get with Sam. You could see it in the way his blue eyes held shock, and how he scratched the back of his head, his blond hair ruffling slightly, unsure. Of course, Chris knew that Josh had always had a thing for Sam, but he had never expected Josh to try and take it anywhere asides from friends; mainly because Josh was scare that if they did try, and fail, that Hannah would lose her best friend. Chris knew Josh would never want that. But now, they were sophomores at the same college, and were in many of the same classes, asides from electives, Josh came to Chris, his left hand running through his hair like crazy.

"See, man," Josh began, his dark green eyes twitching from the left to the right, down at his knees, then over to where his coat was thrown, beside himself and over Chris's couch. "I just don't want anything bad to go down, but dammit, bro." He took a pause, and Chris nodded to him, encouraging him to continue his sentence. "Ever since she started helping me cope with my mental issues, we've just gotten even closer." He sighed and put his face into his hands. He let out a frustrated grunt and Chris patted his back, leaning his head down next to Josh's.

"Alright man, here's the thing." Chris began, watching Josh lift his head a little. "Just come out and say it. Don't beat around the bush, or she's going to go find someone who will tell her outright." Chris grimaced for a slight moment, Josh noticed, and then smiled at his best friend again. "Honestly man, just go for it. She's one of those girls who wants to know what's up right away, so just tell her how you feel, and believe me," Chris winked at him. "She'll definitely give you a chance."

Josh let a small chuckle escape his lips and he sat up straight, turning his head towards Chris.

"Are you positive, man?" Chris only nodded in response to Josh. "Alright, then this calls for a drink, Cochise!"

Chris merely walked to his fridge and pulled out two beers, handing one to Josh before he went and settled on his couch again. He popped open the bottle and knocked glasses with Josh before taking a swig, relishing in the sweet bitterness that the foamy alcohol provided him. He felt Josh shift and Chris turned to look at him. Chris could tell that something else was on his mind by the way that his olive skin wasn't glowing as bright as when he was happy.

"What else is going through that brain of yours, Josh?" Chris questioned, knocking his beer bottle to tap Josh in the forehead, which made Josh knock him back just as quickly.

"I was just...just thinking about how you're doing, bro." He said, taking a long sip of his beer while Chris nearly cringed.

"Oh," Chris shook his head and turned away so that he wouldn't look like such a wimp, even though Josh was his best friend. "Everything is, you know, going I guess. Just busy with school and my jo-"

"You know what I'm talking about." Josh said, cutting Chris off and looking at him, dead serious. Chris frowned and let in a big breath, knowing that he was asking about Ashley.

"We're still talking, still hanging out and everything, but this guy just won't stop pestering her and so she finally agreed to go on a date with him." Chris growled out. "I swear I'll get her, Josh. I swear it." Chris's blue eyes were misty and he wished he could knock out the asshole who had finally grew the nuts to ask her out; perpetually, at that. Josh simply smirked.

"Learn to take your own advice, Cochise." He stated, standing up and finishing his beer, setting the bottle on the counter top in Chris's kitchen. He grabbed his coat, slipping it over his arms and zipping it up before turning to Chris. "Listen to yourself and ask her out. Believe me," He winked at Chris. "She'll definitely give you a chance." He walked to the door and waved a quick goodbye before heading out to get back to his own apartment.

"See ya, bro." Chris called after him and Josh yelled out 'Later, Cochise!' in response, leaving Chris to sit alone with his thoughts.

He vigorously told himself that Ashley didn't like the guy that she went out on that damned date with. He turned to his clock, the time glowing out that it was 9:47 PM. Chris growled again. They were still out on their date, or Ashley would've called and told him about it.

'Or she invited him back to her place and...'

Chris shook the thought out of his head, standing up and chugging down the rest of his beer, walking over to his fridge to grab another one, as his mind kept on imaging that Ashley was with another man; letting him hold her hand, kiss her, touch her _everywhere._ That didn't set well with Chris, and he picked up his phone, unlocking it and pulling up Ashley's contact.

It was a picture of her and himself dressed up as Ash and Misty from Pokemon. They had a great time that nite, especially including the fact that half the time when someone called out 'Ash!', Chris and Ashley had no idea which one they were trying to get attention of. Chris smiled fondly at the picture, and he moved his thumb, letting it hover over the 'call' button. He took in a deep breath and was about to hit it, when a message appeared on his phone.

From: Ashley

 _Hey, Chris, I need you to open your door. Like, now!_

Chris stared at the message for a full minute, adjusting his glasses so that he read it correctly. He heard a loud bang on the door, and another ding from his phone.

From: Ashley

 _Hurry up, slowpoke!_

Chris, dropping his phone onto the couch, ran up to his door and opened it. There stood Ashley, her hair brushed nicely, under her normal pink and black beanie. She was wearing mascara and very light silver eye shadow, which seemed to make her green eyes pop even more than usual. She had on her normal booty shorts with black tights underneath, along with her brown, fuzzy on top, boots. Her shirt was a slightly low cut, grey, short-sleeved shirt that had the original Godzilla on it. But what caught his eye most was the small ball of fluff in her hands.

"Is that a-"

"Please, Chris, you have to take it in! It was out in the cold, and I couldn't see a mother anywhere!" Ashley cried out, rushing into his apartment, as she had been there many times, she had taken a liking to inviting herself in.

Chris raised his eyebrow at her, and she turned toward him, pulling the small kitten closer to her. She looked up at Chris, her eyes were wide as she looked to him, and he let out a frustrated sigh. Ashley smiled, knowing that she had him.

"Before I say yes-"

"Even though you already have, by the look on your face." Ashley giggled, smiling wider. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Would you quit interrupting me, ma'am." He said, knocking her shoulder with his as he got closer to inspect the small thing. She nodded, and looked into his eyes, waiting. "Weren't you supposed to be on a date right now?" He asked, looking over to the clock, which now read 9:59 PM.

Ashley let out a small cough and began to rub her face against the small kitten. "I decided that this little guy was more important than that movie we were watching." She explained, a sheepish smile on her face. Chris laughed out and the kitten clawed into Ashley's shoulder, startled by the noise. "Ow!" She squeaked out, and Chris bit his lip in order to not laugh again, though she could tell by his smile that he wanted to.

"So basically, you ditched the loser." He stated, and she flushed. She nodded to his statement, and then smiled as well.

"He was so boring, Chris!" She cried out, setting the kitten onto Chris's floor so it could sniff around. "Everytime he talked, I wanted to put tape over his mouth." She grabbed onto her head with both hands and pressed her face against Chris's shoulder. "And don't even get me started on the movie he picked. I left halfway through, it was so freaking boring! And it was a plain romance movie, too! Ugh!" She removed her hands from her heading, opting to just let her head rest on his shoulder. "I bailed as quick as I could. The old 'I need the restroom' gig."

Chris laughed again and patted the top of her head. "Why don't I treat you to a nice Rom-Com that I got, then." He suggested, and Ashley looked up at him, grinning.

"Shouldn't you be doing schoolwork or something?" She asked, and pushing his glasses up his nose. "Either way, that sounds nice, actually. I won't be so completely bored that I'll want to shoot my head off." She laughed a bit, leaning down and picking up the kitten again, walking over to his couch and sitting down.

She patted the cushion beside her, and Chris walked over to her.

"Do you want me to put the movie in, or would you rather stare at the black television." He smirked, raising a brow at Ashley and she stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes, walking to his tv and leaning over to put the movie in.

Ashley wolf whistled and Chris felt his cheeks lighten. He turned to her after putting the movie in, and turned the tv on, starting it up.

"You know, if I did that to you, you'd get even more embarrassed." He stated, and Ashley flushed bright red, deciding to keep petting the kitten as a distraction.

"Like you would." She muttered softly to herself, and then she looked over at Chris, who had his focus on the movie. She smiled, scooting closer, and leaned against his side like she normally did when they hung out and watched a movie. 'Honestly, we're pretty much dating.' She thought to herself.

"I would if I didn't respect you." Chris said, watching the kitten walk up his side and up Ashley's neck to sleep. He smiled down at her and the little fluff ball. "Even still, I think I could find a better way at telling you that you're good looking."

Ashley looked slightly shocked at his words and she tilted her head up. "What do you mean?"

Chris let out a small breath before he picked up the fluffy kitten and set it on the ground. Ashley gave him a curious look, and he simply pulled her into a sitting position. She tilted her head again, and Chris took that moment to lean in and give her a quick peck on the lips.

It took Ashley a moment to fully realize what had happened. She quickly looked up into Chris's eyes before leaning in again, kissing him just as soft as the first one, but staying a few seconds longer. When she pulled away, Chris was smiling all big like he had just won something. And he had.

"See? That's a much better way to say that I find you beautiful." He simply said, leaning back down to pick up the fluff ball.

He leaned back to how he was sitting, and gently tugged Ashley back down so that she was laying against his side. She smiled, happily resting against him again while the kitten laid back down against her neck.

"So...we are in a relationship now, right?" Chris asked, quietly. He was gazing down at her, blond hair glowing in the tv light and blue eyes shining.

"It took you long enough to realize that's what I wanted." Ashley replied, smirking at him before slipping her left hand into his right one that was sitting on his lap; his left arm around her back as she cuddled against him.

"Yeah, yeah, like I won't hear that enough from Josh now." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, and she smiled, continuing to watch the movie that was on in the background.

 **So...first chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. No flames, only constructive criticism please.**


	2. Green Sweaters

**Shit happens.**

 **Four months ago.**

 _"So, the vet said that she was four months old." Ashley affirmed. She held the small grey kitten in her arms and it meowed up at her, dark green eyes sparkling with contentness. Ashley smiled, rubbing between her ears, then looking to Chris she placed her in his arms. "I can't take her back to the dorm." She stated._

 _Chris gave her a perplexed look before the realization dawned on him._

 _"Wait wait wait," He said, putting one of his hands up, while the other held the fluffy kitten in his arms. "Are you expecting me to take care of it? Ash, I have school, too." Chris's eyes wandered down to the kitten, which looked up at him, her whiskers twitching as she meowed at him. "And you can't forget that I have a job, too. That's how I pay for this apartment."_

 _Ashley sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, and looking down at her boots. "Even though I know Sam would be fine with having a kitten, we can't." She pushed some of her red bangs out of the way, looking back up to stare into Chris's eyes. "You know that the dorm doesn't allow any pets, unless it's a fish. And believe me, Sam's already got that covered."_

 _Chris thought back to the time that he and Ashley had studied over at her dorm while Sam was away, and he nodded, remembering the two fish that Sam had in a small fishbowl in the living room._

 _"Well..." The blond felt unsure as he lifted the kitten and it meowed at him once more. "I-I'm not exactly an animal person." He lied._

 _"Bull, Chris. I've seen your dogs in many pictures with you, and I can't tell you how many stories you've told me about them." Ashley said, putting a stop to his fib. He sighed, moving his right hand through is blond locks, and he rolled his eyes._

 _"Fine, but you're buying the food and litter for the first month." He complied, waiting for her to nod. She didn't. "Oh, and the shitbox."_

 _Ashley giggled softly at his wording and finally smiled, leaning over and punching his shoulder lightly. "Fine." She agreed, grabbing onto his shirt, his very loved, long-sleeved green sweater. She pulled him closer to her, and she leaned up, breath ghosting over his lips. Chris leaned down, his eyes closing and he heard a snort as he realized that Ashley was no longer that close._

 _"If I have to buy the food, litter, and litter box, you'll need to pay with more than just a kiss." Her green eyes sparkled with mischievousness, and he lifted his brow._

 _"And what would that be?"_

 _"Go on a date with me."_

 _Chris grinned and leaned in, kissing her cheek._

 _"On it."_

* * *

 **Present time.**

Chris followed Josh to the small local cafe that most of the college students went to with their spare time. There wasn't much to do, and Josh had told Chris that they should grab some coffee before heading to work. He pulled his dark blue jacket zipped tight, and his black shirt underneath didn't exactly help the situation of the chilly air blowing; not even his jeans were protecting him much for the nippy weather. Josh, _somehow_ being smarter of the two, was wearing a heavy flannel over his own black t-shirt, and black jeans to match. The blond decided to tag along to the cafe; might as well get himself a caramel cappuccino to quench his tastebuds. He was busy with his thinking and he hadn't realized that he had slowed to a halt.

"Whoa, dude, you okay there?" Josh asked, waving his left hand in front of Chris's face. The blond blinked before nodding. Josh smirked. "And who might it be that you're thinking about, Cochise? Could it be," He paused dramatically. "Me?" He fluttered his eyelashes, and Chris scoffed, pushing Josh with his shoulder as he began walking faster.

"Not even in your dreams, bro." Chris called out, turning and waiting for Josh to keep up.

The dark haired male smirked and took a few strides, stepping in place with Chris and they began walking again.

"Well if it ain't my sexy ass, then it must be Ashley." He said, peeking his brown eyes over to look at Chris's reaction. " _Oh Chris! I can't believe how masculine and sexy you are! Won't you please take me to the bone zone?_ " He mock imitated Ashley, his left hand to his chest while the back of his right wrist was placed onto his forehead.

Chris stopped beside Josh and did a comical gag scene, leaning over and pretending to throw up. Josh moved his hand to pat Chris's back, before deciding against it, and choosing to lean on him instead, making the glasses clad nerd fall over onto the concrete.

He grunted a few times and Josh helped him back up.

"Sorry, Cochise. I suppose I get a little jealous when my wingman is always thinking about his lady."

"Oh? And what about you?" Chris retaliated as they walked into the coffee shop, Josh quickly ordering a black coffee while Chris ordered his Caramel cappuccino.

"Oh, uh, you mean me and Sam?" Josh questioned as they waited for their drinks. Chris nodded, encouragingly.

"Yeah, how is everything going with that?"

Josh's cheeks warmed for a slight moment, and he gave a genuine smile. "We're doing good, actually really good. She's really helping me get through my mental issues, along with Hannah and Beth," He paused. "But now since they're across seas in Australia and going to college there, we don't talk all that much." He grabbed his drink and said a polite 'thank you' to the barista. Chris nodded, grabbing his drink as well. He didn't fully understand how he felt, but he tried to show that he cared.

"I'm glad that things are working out so well," Chris said, bumping fists with Josh as they walked out of the cafe and headed to their job. Josh nodded.

"I am too, and get this!" He started, excitedly. "She said that she's going to be coming on vacation with Hannah, Beth and I." Chris looked at him, curiously. "Oh, and my parents too." Chris smirked.

"So no bone zone for you, eh?" Chris moved his right hand behind his ear and waggled his glasses up and down at Josh.

"Bro, I will pour that coffee down your jeans if you rub it in again." Josh bit back, though there was a joking tone to his voice. Chris put his hands up in surrender, and took another sip of his drink, enjoying the warming sensation travel down his throat. "Anyways, I guess it's about time to start work, eh Cochise?"

Chris rolled his eyes and nodded, both of them stopping outside of a small pizza shop and walking into it.

"Time for my close up with the," Josh paused, grabbing Chris's dark blue jacket. " _pizza_ -razzi."

Chris simply pushed Josh's hand off of his shoulder and walked to the back of the store, ready for work.

* * *

Ashley's eyes turned to her phone as she heard the ringtone of John Cena's theme playing. She rolled her eyes, still not understanding why Chris would want that as his own personal ringtone, but she had decided not to question it anymore and instead she swiped the screen.

"Hey Chris, you do know that it's almost ten thirty at nite, right?" She asked, turning her gaze back down to her history text book. No matter ho many times she learned about history, she could never get enough of it.

"Ash, I need your help." Chris said, sounding frantic. Her heart froze for a moment.

"Oh my god, Chris, is everything alright?" She quickly blurted out. "What happened?" She heard Chris suck in a breath and he let it out slowly.

"It's growling at me."

Ashley's eyes softened and she began laughing loudly, getting Sam's attention. She waved Sam off, mouthing that she would talk to her in a moment, and she put her focus back onto Chris.

"What?"

"It's _growling_ at me, Ash." He said again "You know, hissing." He sighed, and began imitating an irritated cat which only made Ashley laugh once more.

"Oh for god's sake, Chris, I'll be there soon." She blew a kiss into the receiver, and only after hearing him repeat it, did she hang up. "I'll be back, Sam. Chris is having trouble fending off a ferocious kitten."

Sam snorted and waved goodbye, opting to go back to studying her Science text book.

* * *

Chris ran to the door, opening it quickly and letting Ashley in.

"I-I don't know what I did to piss her off, but she just won't stop hissing." Chris said, hiding behind Ashley and peeking over her shoulder. He looked down, noticing that she was in a pair of pajama pants and an over sized sweater. "Lazy day?" She nodded and began walking over to the kitten, who was still hissing and spitting at herself and Chris.

"Hey there, Jade," She said, remembering the name of the cutie and moving her hand towards the kitten. The grey kitten growled lowly at Ashley, but still let the red head pick her up. Ashley moved the kitten around, inspecting it before letting out a small noise. "Here's the problem," she said, moving the kittens left rear paw towards Chris's face.

"H-hey! Don't get too close with that weapon of destruction." He said, backing away a bit, shielding his face. Ashley rolled her eyes, pulling out the splinter that was lodged into her foot and showing it to Chris; almost instantly, Jade began to purr softly.

"Try to make sure that you sand down any wood that she might start scratching on, or else we'll have to go through this, again." She smiled warmly at the grey ball of fluff and kissed its head, all the while staring at Chris, waiting to see if he would get jealous. He did, though when he began to speak, it was not what she had expected.

"That's my favorite green sweater! I was wondering where that went!" He said, accusing Ashley, and she flushed bright red, submitting to her guilt. She began swaying back and forth, slightly, trying to keep her eyes anywhere from his. He waited a moment before walking up to her, his brows raised as he looked down at her, blue eyes shining with humor. "Can I have it b-"

"No." The word left Ashley's lips before she could stop herself, and she flushed darker, looking up at Chris and then down to Jade. "Um, I mean, I like it a lot, and it's super comfy."

"All of the reasons why it's my favorite, yes." Chris nodded, agreeing with her. She felt Jade move and jump out of her arms and onto the ground, walking to her food bowl. "Well, well, well," He said, a playful smirk on his face as he inched his body closer. "It's just you and me."

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. He felt her smile against his lips, and she put slight pressure into the kiss. He moved his lips slowly against hers, nipping at her bottom lip before pulling away.

"I suppose I can let you have it." He said, immediately feeling warm arms around his body, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you!" She breathed out, excitedly. "I really didn't want to give my boyfriend shirt back just yet."

"Boyfriend shirt?" He questioned. Ashley was about to explain, but Chris interrupted her. "I believe that what you're wearing is a 'boyfriend sweater', ma'am."

"Oh shut up." She replied, running her hands along the front of the cozy green cloth that wrapped around her body. "I might have to give it back sometimes, though." Chris tilted his head slightly before crying out in pain.

"And why is that?" He asked, gritting his teeth as he pulled Jade up and off of his jean covered leg, though he still felt her claws while she had attempted to climb him.

"So that it can smell more like you than me, again." Simple and to the point. Chris snorted.

"Really? You want to smell how manly I am all the time?" He rested his hand against his chest, acting touched.

"Oh for god's sake, nevermind then, mister 'manly'."

"Hey, hey, I was joking." He patted the top of her head and kissed her cheek. "I'll do it if you really want me to."

She nodded, a small smile and blush on her cheeks. "I'd really like that."

The blond smiled back, watching as Ashley turned to his door, reaching for the handle.

"Leaving?" He spoke out, walking over to her. She shook her head.

"No, I'll be staying here tonite." He watched as she locked the door and peeked over her shoulder, green eyes twinkling. She pulled him close and began kissing him again, more feverish this time, but she then pulled away, hearing her phone ring out the tune 'under the sea'.

She pulled it out of her pocket, or Chris's sweater pocket to be exact. Looking down, she sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Chris asked, looking down at her phone as well.

"It's that guy. He keeps calling me, and asking if I still want to go out, and no matter how many times I tell him that I'm in a relationship, he won't stop trying."

Chris grabbed the phone from Ashley's slender fingers and answered it.

"Dude, quit calling, she has a boyfriend. Me. Piss off." He hit 'end call' and then tossed her phone onto the couch.

Ashley looked over to her phone, muttering under her breath that she found it 'hot that he went all alpha on that guy' and began kissing him again, more rough this time. Chris sucked in a quick breath of air and pulled away, resting his left hand on her cheek. She leaned into it and smiled at him.

"Geez, Ash, calm down. We have all nite to make out like this." Chris winked and waggled his glasses at her the same way he had at Josh earlier that day. Ashley let out a short breath before kissing him again, deciding that she didn't care, she was going to take his kisses anytime she wanted.

Sitting forgotten on the couch was her phone, lighting up with a text from Sam.

From: Sam

 _Have fun with lover boy, Ash. I'll see you tomarrow at school._

 **Whoo hoo! Second chapter, done and DONE. I hope that you guys like it, and that it's going smoothly so far. I'm trying to keep in character how each would act, and how Chris and Ash would act around each other. I know they're really cheesy and cutesy, but honestly, that's how I see them being if they were in a relationship. Anyways, constructive criticism only, please.**


	3. Surprises

**Shit happens.**

 **Two weeks ago.**

 _Ashley sat alone at the small restaurant, glancing down at her nearly empty cup of Sprite. She sighed, looking down at her phone to check the time before pressing her chin onto the palm of her right hand. She was beginning to grow bored as she waited for one of her best friends to come to the little diner._

 _Matt, a darker skinned boy with short black hair and dark chocolate iris's had sent her a text, asking her to immediately meet him at the diner that was near her college. He had sent her a text that had read'Emergency. I need to meet you as soon as possible.'_

 _She had quickly said yes, trying to call him and ask what was up, but he had ignored her call and sent another text to her saying that she had to wait until he saw her in person. So that's what she did._

 _"It's been half an hour, Matt," Ashley sighed into her palm, the breath ghosting her wrist, making her shiver from the unexpectedness. She shifted in her seat, nearly about to stand up and wait outside the diner, when Matt walked up to the doors._

 _He smiled when he saw her, brown eyes tinted with a hidden message, and his excitement seeming to glow like an aura around him. He was wearing his usual letter jacket, of course, over a light green shirt and a pair of dark green olive cargo pants accompanied it. She lifted her her head from her hand, gesturing for him to come in and tell her what was going on already._

 _He opened the doors, politely telling the waitress that he was going to go and sit with Ashley. He turned his gaze back towards Ashley, and began walking, or rather jogging to where she was sitting at. He took the seat across from her and leaned over, grabbing onto her hands and letting out a happy breath._

 _"What is it, Matt? Why are you so excited?" The red head had asked, her curiosity getting the better of her; after all, she had waited for thirty minutes._

 _"Okay, Ash, you have to promise not to say anything until I'm done telling you." The green eyed girl nodded her head in understanding, and Matt took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out. "I'm going to be a father."_

* * *

 **Present time.**

Ashley sat close to Emily as the two of them waited for Matt to get finished explaining the situation to Chris. Ashley congratulated Emily, and even though they weren't the best of friends, considering that she had cheated on Matt once, she still decided to be civil.

Emily cleared her breath and looked over to Ashley, her hazel eyes meeting green for a moment before turning away. Ashley lifted her brow at this.

"You okay?" She offered, peering over at the black haired beauty across from her. She was clad in an over sized hoodie that was Matt's, and a pair of sweat pants. Emily looked up, then down again, shifting in her seat on Chris's bed.

"I just wanted to, um, talk to you. About something. Important." She rambled quietly, taking a minute to gaze at the door that lead into Chris's lounge area. Ashley could hear quite talking and then a loud 'WHAT?!' come out of Chris's mouth, though he quieted down after a second.

"Go on." Ashley pressed, her attention now fully on Emily. She could see the other girl was fidgeting far too much for comfort, and she laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her steady.

"I'm scared."

To this, a dark red eyebrow was raised, waiting for further explanation. "What are you so scared of?"

"Well," Emily breath out a shaky sigh, her eyes traveling to the hand on her shoulder. "I'm scared of everything." She moved her right hand to her face, brushing her hair out of it. "I mean, what if he leaves me after I have the baby, I mean what if he changes his mind about wanting to be with me?" She shook her head, and Ashley remembered the big break up between her and Mike was because of a pregnancy scare; Matt had told her that one nite when they had decided to drink. "Or what if I'm not a good mother? I know I'm not usually this insecure about stuff, but what else am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to feel." She sucked in a deep breath. "I don't want him to leave me."

Ashley bit back a remark of how she had cheated on Matt, but she held it in, waiting for Emily to get it all out. Honestly, Ashley was surprised that she felt like this, considering that Matt had basically going around telling anyone and everyone that he was going to be a father; hell, he'd kept gloating to her about how much of a great father he was going to be when he had first told her at the diner. Ashley smiled, patting Emily's left hand with her right one.

"Take a minute to breathe."

"I have been breathing." Ashley bit back another retort at Emily and kept her smiled plastered to her face.

"Think about it, if Matt is this hyped, going around telling anyone he can that he's going to be a dad, then I can guarantee that he isn't going to leave you." She removed her hand from over Emily's and leaned back against one of Chris's pillows on his bed. "Besides, I know him way too much to know that he would never do that to anyone, especially you."

Emily gave her a skeptical look, most likely not believing her, though she chose not to say anything more about it, as Chris bursted through his bedroom door.

"Well I'll be damned!" He exclaimed. He fist bumped Matt and looked over to the uncomfortable Ashley. "Congrats, you guys."

Matt beamed more as he went over to Emily and pulled her to a standing position. "Can you believe she's two months?" He glowed as he looked down at her, and Ashley could see how much he loved her.

Emily's eyes were guarded, though, and Ashley couldn't tell what was behind the mask that she had over her. She didn't want to ruin the moment, so she ran a hand through her hair, and Chris walked over to sit beside her, where Emily had just been at.

"Well, it's about time that we head out. Thanks for being so supportive, guys." Matt leaned down and hugged Ashley, who hugged him hard. She held on for a moment, not wanting him to leave, considering that he and Emily went to a college about an hour away, so they didn't always meet that often.

"We'll see you soon, right?" She asked as she loosened her grip on him. He nodded to her, and Chris walked with him and Emily, seeing them off while Ashley laid down on Chris's bed, closing her eyes.

She let out a soft 'oompf', and opened her eyes, feeling small soft paws walk over her belly and walking up to her face, laying her furry head in Ashley's neck. Purring sounded lovingly from the cat, and Ashley smiled, petting Jade's head.

"Hey there, cutie." She closed her eyes again, rubbing Jade's back, not hearing the approaching footsteps.

"Well, hello there. I didn't realize you thought I was such a cutie." Green eyes met blue, and Chris winked at her, giving her a cheesy grin. She rolled her eyes, and stuck her tongue out, watching him walk across the room and to his bed.

When his weight shifted the bed, Jade got up and hopped down, flicking her tail at Chris, then leaving the room. Ashley looked at him, perplexed.

"I swear, Ash, I have done nothing but feed that glutton and change it's poop. I don't know why it doesn't like me." Chris defended as he laid down beside Ashley. He moved his arm around her side and pulled her closer to his body.

Chris glided his hand down to rest on her hip, but as soon as he moved it, Ashley jumped, grabbing onto his hand which was now hovering over her stomach. She glared at him, and he knew that he had found a goldmine.

"Oh, so I finally found out where you're ticklish, eh?" Chris grinned maliciously, or at least he looked malicious in Ashley's eyes, and he removed his hand from her tight grip. "Alright," He said in mock defeat, I won't do it. This time."

Ashley glared him down, her eyes flickering at his words, waiting for him to make a move, but when he didn't, she turned to face him, and snuggled in close to his chest. Chris waited a minute, then took his chance.

He moved his hand swiftly to where her tummy was, grabbing around her to keep her still, and he began lightly running his fingers over her belly, through the fabric of her dark purple shirt. Ashley screamed, thrashing against Chris and trying to get away from his tickling. Her voice bubbled with laughter as she tried harder and harder to get away from his devilish hand, but she couldn't move too well while being tickled.

"C-come on, Chris! Stop!" She cried out, shoving her hands against his with all her strength so that he would stop his ministrations.

"Aw, come on, Ash, I'm only having a bit of fun." He countered, continuing his antics.

The red head flailed about some more, and her fist came up too quick for her to realize what happened as he stopped tickling her. She took in a long, deep breath before looking up at Chris, who was now holding the lower side to his jaw. It dawned on her what had happened and she had to stop herself from laughing, to no avail, though.

"Holy crap, Chris! Did I just punch you?" She snorted out, green eyes blazing with triumph. "That shows you to tickle me!" She sat up, then, smirking down at Chris, who gave her a pouty face. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She leaned down and kissed his chin, where he had been covering it. That was until, he decided to tickle her again. This time, she took no hesitation in swatting his face with her hand.

* * *

"Dang man," Josh commented as he opened his door to see Chris. "What the hell happened to you?"

Chris gave him an 'I don't want to talk about it' look, but let it out anyways.

"Ash kicked me out." He explained, his voice dejected.

"Wait bro, isn't it _your_ apartment?" Josh asked, bewildered. Chris simply nodded.

"Yup. Not even living together and she's kicking me out. She wouldn't even let me sleep on my own couch!"

Josh moved his lips around, giving Chris a ' what did you do' look.

"I tickled her."

Josh barked in laughter at Chris, patting him on the back, while he tried, and failed, to give comfort to his friend. His phone vibrated, and the blond looked down, his phone in his hand.

From: Ashley

 _Can you come back? You're a nice blanket/pillow combo._

Chris rolled his eyes while Josh laughed beside him.

"Go on, Cochise, you can't leave a lady waiting." Chris sighed, turning around to walk back to his apartment which was down the road, mumbling about how he couldn't believe she had kicked him out then wanted him back.

Josh simply laughed again.

 **Chapter three. Shorter than the other two, yes, but I didn't want to stay one Matt and Emily the whole time. I've got many a plans for this story, and I'd rather not put them all into one chapter. Hope you've enjoyed!**


	4. Pull the thread

**Shit happens.**

There was quiet chatter going on around Ashley, and she was irritated that she could still hear the noise through her headphones. A scoffing noise slipped past her lips as she flipped the next page in the book she was reading: _The life of Amelia Earhart: What happened to the first female pilot?_

She loved coming to the library at break time. Most people were out and about, most likely neglecting their need to study for future exams and assignments in favor of grabbing a bite to eat or to gossip with friends, but now, for some reason, it was packed.

"Can you believe that she let me get her right against the wall?" A male voice said, and to Ashley's annoyance the sound still managed to get through headphones.

'Which means other people can hear you, too,' Ashley thought bitterly to herself.

She turned her music up as loud as she could, not wanting to listen to any other... _explicit content._ As she glanced down to her book once more, she noticed a shadow casting over her.

Ashley jumped slightly, surprised at the sudden presence above her. She was easily startled, considering that she hated anything that was even remotely scary; her mind was a mine field of wild scenarios that she could never seem to escape from.

Quickly recovering from her undignified state, she looked up towards the shadow's owner. A heartbeat stopped itself in her throat, and the red head nearly kicked herself. She had known that she couldn't avoid him forever, but she had been hoping to delay the encounter for a little longer. She pulled her black headphones out of her ears as she fully turned her body to him.

"Uh, hi Wade," she started off, sheepish, but Wade put his hand up, a deep frown on his face.

Ashley cowered back slightly, as she knew she was in for it. She'd been trying her hardest to avoid confrontation with Wade since she ditched him at their date months ago.

"Listen, I get that you don't like me, but you didn't have to do something that low, Ashley," he spat out, his dark grey eyes glaring into hers.

Ashley recoiled slightly at his harsh tone. She could feel the venom in his voice, and she pushed her back more against the chair.

"You weren't even worth it, anyways," he continued, his angry expression now evolving into a twisted smile. Ashley froze, her fear escalating.

He leaned over and snatched the book from her, turning it over in his hands as he examined it. Ashley let out a small gasp, reaching out for the book, but her legs didn't seem to want to cooperate. However, Wade spoke before she could do anything further.

"Have fun being a fucking nerd, whore." He tossed the book down, the novel hitting Ashley on the head. Hard.

Ashley felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she held back from crying in front of him. She couldn't, not with what she had done to him. She didn't deserve to. Now, for the first time, she felt guilty about leaving Wade that night.

She watched him walk away before resting her head in her hands, her nails digging into her beanie and pulling it down from its usual position. The hot tears felt like acid against her cheeks. The guilt continued to well up inside of her. The guilt for not just waiting until the end of the movie to be over. For not just telling him outright that she didn't want to be with him because she just didn't like him - not in that way, at least. But she didn't, and now she was beginning to get the first wind of reprecautions. And she could only assume that they would continue for a while, considering he had called her a whore, when a couple months ago he had been calling her a gorgeous, intelligent woman.

Sniffling, she turned back to her book, picking it up and turning the pages. She looked down at the words that were on the thin paper, but her eyes were too clouded with tears, the words quickly becoming fuzzy. Over and over, Ashley wiped her tears from her eyes, though it was no use, as the tears continued streaming down her face like water that had just managed to break past the dam restraining it. She pulled her phone from her pocket, taking her headphones out of the jack that they had been residing in.

Her fingers instinctively typed in her passcode, the rhythmic pattern now nothing more than a reflex that only her hands could know, and her phone unlocked. She pulled up Matt's contact. She turned her head and looked around the library, and even though it was loud and rowdy with all the people that were in here, she didn't want to upset the librarian staff that she had come to know. She stood up, walked to the counter with her book, checked it out, and then swiftly high tailed it from there as quick as she could.

She turned the corner, pulling out her phone and unlocking it again. She looked at the picture of Matt and her from their last visit when he had told her the big news. A small smile began to grace her lips, before she remembered why she had wanted to call him in the first place. She hit 'call', and waited for him to pick up. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to answer, and after the third ring, the phone clicked and she heard someone in the background.

"Hey, Ash, what's up?" Matt asked, breath heavy.

Her green eyes filled with tears, and she began sobbing as she walked her way out of her college. As soon as she hit the park next door, where it was much more secluded, she began to answer Matt's urgent questions.

"Jesus, Ash, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked. Ashley noticed that his breath was now much steadier than before.

"I-I don't..."

She moved her hand up, wiping her eyes once more, the tears seeming to slow as she caught her own breath.

"I don't know what you're doing, and I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything important, but please, can you just talk to me for a minute?" She glanced around, deciding to sit herself against one of the few silver poplar trees in the small area.

"Yeah, yeah, I can talk, but what happened?" Matt demanded. She could hear a couple muffles of someone in the background, and she hoped that it wasn't Emily being pissed that she had called. Matt _was_ and _is_ her only childhood friend that she still keeps in contact with. Besides Chris, of course.

Ashley leaned up, taking her beanie off of her head and examining it while she started to talk to Matt, explaining to him about Wade, and how she had decided that she wasn't into him. She talked of how she had avoided him because she was scared of something like this happening, where she would have rumors spread about her that weren't true.

Her eyes watered again, and she let out a shaky breath as Matt told her that everything would be alright, and if she needed, he would drive an hour in order to set that boy straight. A small chuckle escaped Ashley's lips.

"Thanks, Matt," said Ashley, smiling for the first time since the incident with Wade, "I feel a lot better, now."

"Glad to hear that, Ash," He stated, a smile in his voice, "I hate to cut this short, but I have to go. Em and I are trying to move everything, and I don't want her to move anything heavy, even though she keeps trying to."

Matt's voice was replaced by the sound of pounding footsteps and Matt calling out something that sounded like: "If you try and get that on your own, I will lock you in the bedroom!"

"Matt?" The ginger called out. There was no reply.

"Hey Matt, what's going on with you and Em?" She inquired further, her curiosity once again getting the better of her. She heard a short amount of static come on the phone as he came back.

"What was it you said?" Matt asked. She could tell that he wanted to leave soon, but she had to know.

"What's up with you and Em, did something happen?" She inquired once more, her breath shallowing so she could hear him. He paused for a moment, and she knew that he didn't want to tell her. Not yet, at least.

"I, uh..." Matt hesitated, and Ashley waited patiently.

"Can I call you and tell you in a little bit, Ash? I promise that I will, and if I forget to, then you can give me a call and remind me. If anything, I'll text it to you."

Ashley bit her lip, her wonder expanding at this, but she nodded. That was, until she remembered that people couldn't see you nodding when you were only talking on a phone. She mentally face-palmed as she quickly corrected her mistake. "Yeah, okay. Either way, I hope everything is okay."

She felt a smile tug her lips upward. "And thanks for letting me talk to you and let everything out."

"Of course, homegirl. I'd never leave you hanging like that." Green eyes lit up as her smile widened. It had been a while since she had heard Matt's old nickname for her, and she snorted as they said their goodbyes.

When she hung up the phone, she checked the time. Her phone greeted her with the numbers 4:22 PM. She groaned out at the time, and stood up, wiping her face off one more time to catch any rebel tears that had managed to escape her the first few times, before she began walking to her Physics class.

* * *

Her eyes and ears were focused on the teacher as he talked about all the different ways that Physics was used in everyday life. Try as she might, she couldn't fully understand the lessen's relevance. Her head began to fall forward, and she tried to prop it up with her hand. She wasn't surprised to see the teacher give her a silent glare a few moments later, obviously annoyed at the lack of attention. She merely rolled her eyes and checked the clock that hung up on the gym wall. Two minutes left until class was over. Ashley prayed that she could make it through the rest of class before she died of boredom.

The teacher, Mr. Stineman, finished his monologue and turned to his desk, sitting down and looking around at everyone. There weren't many people in the class, but he was always edgy when it came close to class dismissal.

'Honestly, I don't think anyone wants to be here right now.' Ashley thought to herself.

She locked eyes with the teacher, though he quickly stared her .She averted her gaze instantly, standing quickly as the bell rang with it's hollow 'next class' vibe. She smiled to herself, as she could finally go back to her dorm and relax. That, or catch up on her reading, as she had been interrupted from it before.

She picked up her books, both her Physics textbook and the one she had checked out from the library, and turned to the door and walked through the threshold. While she had been eager to take this class at the beginning of this year, she was beginning to regret it. Physics was hard, though she knew it would be. But she didn't know it would be this complicated.

She sighed in relief as she headed out the doors and headed back to her dorm, ready for some peace and quiet.

* * *

Ashley grimaced. She definitely wasn't expecting to come back to her dorm to see Sam and Josh nearly _naked and about to get down to business_ when she had opened the door. Her face lit up, cheeks on fire, as she slammed the door shut.

"Sorry!" She frantically called out. She slowly slid down the doorframe, doing everything in her power to try and forget the image that bad just been painfully stamped into her mind.

She could hear quiet mumbling, mainly of Josh saying that now he had proof that they had gotten pretty far, so he could gloat, and that if she tried to lie, it wouldn't work. Ashley held herself back from yelling at Josh to hurry up and put his clothes on so that she could at least go to the comfort of her own room.

When the door opened, Ashley didn't stop herself from falling back and looking up at Sam. A flustered look was on the blondes face, and Ashley knew why. The ginger stared at Sam, waiting for her to say something, but to her surprise, is was Josh spoke up.

"Hey, um, sorry Ashley," he began, "We got a little carried away, and lost track of time. Didn't mean to burn a terrible image in your head forever."

He leaned over, helping Ashley to her feet, while Sam tried averting her gaze.

"Sorry, Ash," she said quietly, her hazel eyes finally meeting Ashley's green ones. The red head shrugged her shoulders and pretended to look like she didn't care, as she fruitlessly continued to forget the unsettling scene she had just witness.

"Alright, well, I'm going to just go to my room really quick, and then I'll be out of your hair," Ashley said.

Sam gave Ashley a sheepish smile, and Josh patted Sam on the shoulder.

"Hey, maybe one day they'll get us back?" Josh said, smirking as he winked at Ashley when she had come back out of her room, phone charger in hand.

She flushed bright scarlet, and Josh whooped out a laugh. "I'm just Joshing ya."

He grinned as he walked over to Ashley. "Don't worry, Ash, you don't gotta worry about that. Pigs will be flying by the time he gets the courage to do anything more than kiss you."

Green eyes glared at Josh, who put his hands up in self defense.

"Either way," Sam began, looking over to Ashley, "I hate to be the one to ask this, but you did say you were heading out?" Ashley raised her brows at this, not used to this new Sam, the Sam who wanted physical affection this bad, but Ashley could tell by her body language. She had never seen Sam so antsy before, and she certainly didn't want to get in the way of it.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomarrow after school, right?"

The blonde nodded, and Ashley turned, grabbing the door handle and walking out of her dorm.

"So much for spending some peace and quiet at my own place..." She muttered to herself, letting out an exhausted sigh.

However, she switched her walk to a run, bolting for the exit as she heard a thump against the dorm door, and Sam moaning out Josh's name.

* * *

"Hey, Ash, wake up."

Ashley could hear a familiar voice, though instead of opening her eyes and walking up completely, she grabbed the hand that was shaking her. An audible 'hmmph' sounded quietly, and she peeked open her left eye. She could she blond hair as her eyesight started to focus. She recognized the person immediately as Chris, and she gave him a soft smile.

"Come on, Ash, time to get up," he said, beginning to shake her again

She huffed and turned away from him, her arms choosing to wrap around a pillow that she dubbed her favorite. She could hear Chris walk around to the side of the bed that she was facing.

"What are you even doing here?" he questioned, squatting down so that he was eye level with her. "I thought you had to go home tonight. Weren't you going to do something with Sam?"

That was enough to wake Ashley up.

Her face gave a look of regretful disgust, and Chris moved closer.

"What happened? Did you two fight?" Ashley shook her head, and she kept her mouth closed. She shoved her face into the pillow for good measure.

"Come on, Ash, is everything okay?"

She nodded.

"Then look at me, and tell me that."

She peeked an eye out of the pillow, mouthing the words 'Everything is okay.' Chris rolled his eyes, but accepted it.

"Anyways, it's eight, and I figured that I could wake you up and we could do something. That way you don't wake up in the middle of the night, wondering what happened to the sun."

Chris stood up, pulling Ashley to her feet and she leaned up, giving him a sleepy kiss on the lips.

"Thanks for giving me a spare key," she said, her head drooping slightly as she leaned against his chest.

"Don't worry about it, Ash, but I will figure out what happened soon enough," he promised.

She snorted.

"That's fine, Chris, but you won't be finding anything out from me."

She smirked as she looked up at him once more. "Now, what is it that you would like the do?" Chris shrugged.

"Just relax and watch an old black and white film, maybe?" he suggested.

She nodded in affirmation as her phone went off.

She looked down to see she had a new unread text message.

From: Matty

 _Sorry for taking so long to let you know. Em and I are living together now. Her parents kicked her out or the apartment that they were renting for her. Thank God that they didn't stop paying for her schooling, though._

 ** _SO, special thanks to my awesome beta, Catsrawesome! He/She is super awesome and agreed to help me by being my beta! See all that detail, a lot of it is from the help of Cats! So give them a shout out and tell them how awesome they are!_**


	5. Grazed Knees

**Shit happens.**

"Wait a minute, dude. Ashley walked in on you guys about to have sex?" Chris questioned in disbelief, blue eyes straining as he tried to retain the new information he had just heard. The olive skinned male across the table from him nodded his head, a triumphant smirk held on his face. "So that's why Ashley showed up a my place last nite." He fit the pieces together, and then turned his gaze to Josh, blue eyes meeting dark green.

"Well, we weren't about to have sex, I was just going to go down-"

"Enough," Chris demanded, pulling his hands up to halt Josh from saying anymore. "Listen, man, I'm glad you're getting all intimate and shit, but I don't want to hear about it."

"Not even if I call you to say I took her to the bone zone?" He questioned, his smirk still plastered to his face and his eyebrows waggling in a wicked fast manner.

Chris rolled his eyes exasperatedly, and he shook his head, a shiver running down his spine as he thought about how much detail Josh can and probably would, go into. After all, he did take after his father with his 'wild imagination' and 'knack for being talented at making things much more interesting'. Chris felt himself wanting to gag at the thought of Josh's imagination.

"If it's just those words, fine, but I swear man if you try to go into detail, I will hang up on you so quick!"

Josh inhaled a deep breath at the most likely empty threat, mocking fake hurt as he then leaned his head on his hands.

"I can't believe you would say something so terrible to me!" Josh gasped as he looked up, letting fake tears shimmer in his eyes. "And to think, I called you bro."

The blond adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he watched Josh wipe at his 'sorrowful' face. He leaned over the table, knocking Josh's hand away from his face, a playful glare glinting in his eyes.

"So, Cochise, have you taken your girl there yet?" Green eyes shimmered with humor, already knowing the answer that his best friend would have for him.

Chris sent an actual glare to Josh, and shook his head. He wondered to himself why Josh always asked about stuff like that, though he had been trying to hook them up for sometime now, so Chris shrugged it off.

"Dude, we talked about this. And I don't know why you think it's any of your business anyways. It's not like you're going to be the one getting it on with her in the first place."

"Apparently you aren't either buddy, but alright, it's not my fault if she starts DJ-ing it up when you don't show your interest." Josh shrugged, lips pulled down into a frown as he looked at the blond.

Chris punched Josh's shoulder, and stood up.

"Listen man, it's not that, it's just-"

"I get it. You 'don't know' again right? Like you didn't know about Ashley wanting to be in a relationship with you, even though Sam and I told you plenty of times that it would work out in your favor as well as hers. But I understand man."

Josh grabbed onto Chris's jacket sleeve, hauling himself up and standing as well, slightly taller than Chris. The blond merely stared him down, waiting for a battle with his best pal considering he was beginning to feel his skin crawl with irritation. Josh simply put his hands up in defeat and nodded his head toward the campus.

"Come on, _bro_ , time to go to class."

* * *

It wasn't all the time that Ashley felt like this; insecure about the way she looked. Unsure of how she acted, if she was even likable by any of her friends and family. If her friends even actually considered her a 'friend'.

She moved her hand up to the top of her head as she gazed at herself in her full body mirror. Her slender hand grabbed the beanie on her head, taking it off while her other hand tugged at the red locks they normally lay beneath the soft fabric.

She once thought that her ginger tresses looked unique, the natural red not normally as flowing a look on most people as it was on her. Now, though, it looked stringy and brittle, like an ugly rust colored haystack.

"What a hideous shade."

Her statement sent a bolt of hurt through her heart, like lightning striking down a tree and setting it a flame. She blinked back hot tears.

Her gaze lowered to her stomach, turning so that she could look at it from a side view. Sure, she was fairly skinny, only having a little bit of fat there; most people did. She grabbed her shirt, pulling it up to reveal her soft ivory skin. She grabbed some of her stomach with one hand and pinched.

"How much weight have you gained?"

She snarled, feeling another bolt strike her heart.

Next, she glared at her chest and her behind. Ashley knew that she didn't have the biggest bust or rear, but she felt inadequate as she thought of all her friends, and how much better their bodies looked; how many people they got to glance their way without even trying.

"Not sexy enough. Never sexy enough."

A third bolt.

She grabbed at her own face, digging her nails into her soft flesh. She turned to address the mirror head on again. She stepped closer, glaring herself down. She opened her mouth into a smile.

At one time, long ago, she thought that it was pretty, even quirky, yet here she was noticing how big her teeth actually were.

"You look so stupid with your wide grin." Four.

She glared at the rest of her face, attacking each feature as it presented itself.

"Too small of a nose, and is it crooked to one side?" Five.

"Lips that aren't plump enough. They don't look attractive enough to even be pecked." Six.

"Cheeks that are too chubby. Stand back everyone, chipmunk cheeks coming through." Seven.

Finally she glared into her eyes, a light shade of green. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, and she let them. She believed that they looked like gems, Peridots. She was wrong. Now, as the tears dripped onto her shirt, she compared her eyes to old, murky sea water. Distasteful and putrid.

"Disgusting."

She could hear him again, see his twisted smirk as she replayed yesterday's events.

 _"You weren't even worth it, anyways."_

She blinked rapidly, moving her hands to her face as she lowered herself to her knees, balancing her body against the mirror. She grabbed her makeup kit that was on the table beside the mirror and opened up a lipstick container.

"You're not beautiful." She stated quietly, looking at her reflection.

 _"Have fun being a fucking nerd, whore."_

"You're not worth anything."

* * *

"Ash," Sam said, knocking on her roommates door. "Come on, it's time to go."

She knocked again, getting impatient as she didn't like to be late to anything, whether it be class or a movie. She waited a minute before knocking a third time, her impatience getting the better of her.

"Ashley, we have to leave. Now." She moved her hand to the doorknob, unsurprised to find it unlocked. Ashley had told her before that she wouldn't lock her door while she was at the dorm, as there was no need to. She trusted Sam more than anyone, except for Chris that is.

The blonde walked into the room, her eyes immediately fixating on Ashley as she sat on her knees, her body leaning against the mirror that Beth had gotten her for Christmas last year.

"Holy shit, Ashley," She rushed to her friends side, pulling her up from against the mirror and she looked into her face.

Ashley's eyes were closed, but Sam could tell that she had been crying. Red and swollen is what they were, and the tear stains on her cheeks didn't exactly hide the fact that she must have been sobbing. Hazel eyes turned to where Ashley's favorite hat laid discarded on the ground. It looked like it had been thrown off haphazardly. Above it, a small phrase that was smeared with lipstick on the mirror shocked Sam.

 _Not worth it._

She pulled out her cell phone, dialing Chris's number waiting for him to answer. Her patience was completely gone, and she moved one of Ashley's arms around her neck, lifting her up and hoisting her onto her bed in an uncomfortable looking heap. She quickly fixed Ashley's legs and laid her flat on her back, her arms to her sides and her feet straight.

'Yo yo yo! This is Chri-' Sam hung up her phone as she got Chris's voicemail, irritation lacing through her eyes as glared down at her screen. Then, she decided to try again until he answered.

* * *

The vibrations in his pocket grew annoying as the blond haired male sat in his Graphics Communications class. He glared angrily down at his blue jeans as he waited for it to stop.

All he wanted to do was pay attention to his teacher for once, though he always had his attention. After all, it was technology, and he absolutely loved it.

Chris growled audibly, though it was quiet, and he kept his gaze away from his seat partner who had given him a strange look. He could feel the vibrations _again_ , and he stood up.

"I'm heading to the bathroom right quick, let me know if I miss anything I already know." He stated to his partner, turning towards the wooden classroom door.

As soon as Chris closed the door to his classroom, he ran straight to the mensroom that was across the way. He pulled out his cell phone, about to click on the power button.

"Alright, now who the hell wants me so bad that they can't wait until I'm on break."

He looked down to his phone, watching the screen come to life. He read out that he had six missed calls; one from Ashley about an hour ago, and five from Sam, all the ones he had received that had irritated him about ten minutes prior til now. Another thing he noticed was that he had two voicemails, though before he could listen to them, an incoming call from Sam showed up on his phone.

Swiping his phone, he lifted the tech up to his ear.

"Yes, is there a-"

"Shut up right now, Chris! You need to get here quick, do you understand me? Fuck whatever you're doing, Ashley needs you. _Now._ "

The phone clicked before Chris could get another word in. He stood still for a moment, not understanding at first what was happening. His mind finally clicked as he put together a couple of the words that Sam had said in her quick phonecall.

 _Ashley needs you. **Now**._

He left the bathroom, forgetting about the books that he had in his Graphics class, deciding that he would just pick them up tomarrow. For now, he needed to go see Ashley.

* * *

He had called Ashley at least a dozen times as he tried to walk as quickly as he could to Sam and Ashley's dormitory. It had been about ten minutes, and Chris's mind was frying as he tried his hardest not to think about what could've happened to Ashley.

"Come on, come on, come on, Chris. Everything is going to be fine." He said to himself, trying to keep his breath steady.

He looked down to his phone and opened it once more, about to dial Ashley again before deciding against it. If she hadn't been answering, then she must be upset with him, extremely busy, or sleeping; and even then, she almost always answered. Though she would be very irritated and tired when she would answer if she had been sleeping.

His mind was reeling at the thought of what could be happening to her and Sam, and he nearly hit himself at the fact that he had forgotten that he had a voicemail from both Sam and Ashley.

Chris pulled his phone up to his ear as he hit 'dial voicemail'. As he listened to the normal voicemail dialogue, he growled in irritation.

"I don't have time for this shit." He muttered out, sighing in relief as he finally heard 'you have two new messages. First Message from: Ashley'.

He gulped as he waited for her voice, but his heart stopped as the first few seconds consisted of her sobbing into the receiver. Then, her voice came through softly.

 _"Chris...Chris, please, please answer your phone. Chris please, oh God..."_

Chris bit his lip as she began to sob harder, and he quickened his speed walk to a run. At this point, he didn't care that he probably looked crazy. Something was wrong with Ashley.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, figuring that whatever Sam had left him in his voicemail box was the same thing that she had said when he had finally picked up his phone.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He said to himself, running his hand through his blond locks, pulling at it, trying to keep himself sane.

He looked up, relieved as he finally clearly sees the building to their dorm. He walks through the building, swiftly sliding past the registration desk as he had done many times before when Ashley had snuck him in.

He walked to the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time before he finally reached floor eight. He mentally cursed Sam for wanting a great view, and also Ashley for thinking that it was such a great plan.

"Jesus." He heavily breathed out as he finally looked up to see their dorm door.

Chris lifted his hand to the wooden obstruction, knocking, or rather pounding on it, as soon as he could.

"Sam! Sam let me in!" He yelled out.

The other blonde pulled the door open, her hazel eyes glaring through his blue ones.

"What the fuck took you so long, Chris?!" She snapped, grabbing onto his collar and pulling him in through the door.

Chris was shocked at her words as Sam continued pulling him, heading towards Ashley's room, whispering fiercely to him. He muted her out, though, when she finally stopped and pushed Chris into Ashley's room.

His eyes grew as he read the message on her mirror, then shifted his eyes over to her bed. He put his hand up to his mouth as he saw how ragged she looked laying there.

He walked closer to the mirror, leaning down and picking up her hat in his hands, feeling the soft fabric against his fingers. He lifted his eyes to the mirror once more, grabbing the stray lipstick from the ground, crossing out the message and scribbling one underneath it.

"Oh, God, Ash." He murmured softly, walking slowly over to he bed and sitting down beside her sleeping form.

Sam clicked the door closed, and when Chris looked up, she wasn't in the room any longer. When he turned his gaze back to Ashley, he leaned down and kissed her cheek, running his hand up and cupping her face.

"Ashley, what happened to you?"

Chris maneuvered his body so that he was laying beside her. He wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her in as close as he could. He was protecting her as best he could on the outside.

He moved his hand up, beginning to gently caress her hair as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. Chris closed his eyes as he ran his hand back down to around her waist, keeping a tight hold on her, making sure to whisper quietly how important she is to him. How loved she is by him.

* * *

It came as a surprise to Ashley when she had opened her eyes, glancing around her room. As she grabbed onto her phone and clicked the lock button, her screen flashed, telling her that it was nearing on eight that evening. Quickly, she sat up, or rather, tried to sit up, but something entangled around her waist wasn't letting her move.

Green eyes flickered down to her waist, noticing the arms that were firmly placed. She guided her eyes up the arm, coming face to face with Chris. Or, well, a sleeping Chris.

Ashley lifted her body so that she was sitting down, and she grabbed Chris's shoulder, shaking him roughly.

"Chris, come on Chris."

A grumble answered her, and his arm reached up to pull her back down.

"Chris, it's eight, wake up."

"No."

Ashley glared down at the blond, rolling her eyes. She tried once more, shaking him again.

"Chris."

Blue eyes fluttered open and he glanced up to her. He opened up his arms, still laying down. He motioned to her that he wanted her to come back down to cuddle with him.

"Chris."

"Ash." He smiled before doing a duckface mixed with a pout at her.

She took in a deep breath and flopped back down on top of him.

"Fine."

She gave up, tucking herself neatly under his chin and curling into his chest. Chris kissed the top of her head, and stared at the message he had left her to see when it was morning.

 _You are worth everything to me._

* * *

 **So, it took me long enough. I hope you like it!**


	6. Fist to cuffs

**Shit happens.**

It had been weeks since the incident with Wade and Ashley knew that it wasn't going to be easy to just go to school and the library like she had always done. Those were her places of solace that she truly didn't want to be invaded from. She was almost completely sure that those grey eyes would find her, that they would fill with hatred when they locked onto her own eyes. That she would be in a vulnerable position where he could get her. Where he could hurt her. And she wouldn't know what to do if he would come closer; if he would come to hurt her again. Not with physical violence, but with words.

Sure, she knew words wouldn't leave a physical scar on her, but emotional damage was just as bad.

'No.' She thought to herself, petrified. She involuntarily shivered under her thin grey jacket, the small coat doing nothing to make her feel safe.

Emotional damage was far worse than physical. Bruises, although they were terrible just as physical damage is, were still able to go away. The monsters and fears in her mind would be much harder to hide; much harder to hide from. Even now, just the encounter with him that she had the last time that they'd met was haunting her. She shook her head as she glanced down at the library table she was sitting at, a book sitting abandoned between her slightly trembling hands.

That wasn't even the main part she feared, she contemplated to herself. The russet haired woman didn't want to hear those words, even though she was quite positive that she deserved to hear them. To experience them. She knew what she had done, and she figured she had to pay the consequences.

'But not like this. I don't want to be looking around every corner because of something like this.'

An image flashed in her mind. An image of her simply reading or studying. An image of Wade coming up from behind her. It could go a few ways, but that didn't matter. She would be frightened anyways. Frightened of him saying something awful to her; of him grabbing her with a few of his goons and hurting her.

Another shiver sent itself up her spine, and she swore to herself that her small frame was trying to cave in on itself. Trying to disappear.

"Ugh, it's so stupid to be scared of something like this." She cursed out, grabbing tufts of her soft red hair between her fingers as she began tugging at the roots, her hat sliding off of her head onto the table in front of her and onto the book.

Her hand lifted itself robotically, and she set the hat snugly over her hair once more. Green eyes trailed down to the table once more, the wood and book glinting in the soft sunlight through a nearby window.

Ashley sniffed as she glared down at the crisp black cover, remembering that Sam had suggested she read it. She stared over the title, the white words glaring into her eyes; _Looking For Alaska_. The part that was awful was that she couldn't focus enough to make it past page three, and she knew that if Sam suggested it to her, then it must be a good read.

"Come on, Ash, you can do this. Just focus." She cheered herself on, quietly. She knew that she needed this distraction in order to keep from having another anxiety attack over Wade.

She grit her teeth to keep herself from gnawing on her lip or biting her nails, but her anxious tendencies finally won over as they usually did, and her thin bottom lip skin became a playground for her hungry teeth. She clicked her nails on the wood as she opened the book once more in order to try, and most likely fail, at reading the soft pages. A petrifying feeling loomed its way across her shoulders, feeling like it was burning into her skin.

"Ashley."

Startled out of her fear driven daze, Ashley turned her head sharply to see someone she was expecting, yet praying not to see. Her heart shuttered as one of her hands came up to closely to her face while the other stayed on the open novel. A reflex in her body that she had finally realized happened when she was trying to protect herself.

A grin full of scorn met her frightened grassy orbs while Wade pulled up a chair across from her. The lone book in her hands now closing shut for the umpteenth time that she had tried to read it.

"Well well well, what do we have here? The filthy nerd slut reading in here by her lonesome? You did so well hiding from me last time, that I assumed you'd try even better this time around." He grinned wider, a more unrealistic waxy grin, and Ashley could swear that his teeth had become razor sharp fangs. "Don't little ratty kittens know that it's dangerous to be alone? Especially the pretty ones like you."

Ashley scoffed at him, a grimace filled with disgust coming to her face as he leaned over the table.

"Calling me ratty then pretty doesn't make any sense. So before you go slinging words around, you should make sure that they're synonyms at least."

Wade's grin turned to a scowl as he let out a long, loud breath.

"Listen here you pathetic piece of shit." He hissed out, and Ashley could hear the venom in his voice; feel it sinking it's teeth into her throat. "What I say about you doesn't fucking matter either way."

Lifting a hand, the ginger huffed out a breath on bewilderedness.

"It kind of does when you're telling them to me, Wade."

Ashley felt terror welling up stronger inside of her body, her lungs extracting the air out of her even though she was sure that she had stopped breathing. Grey eyes froze over as he stood from the table, knocking the chair over.

"Shut the fuck up you whore! Don't you fucking say my name." He howled out. Heads turned in their direction, and Ashley leaned down, hiding her face into her hands.

She pulled her hat down, attempting to cover her eyes, but she felt she couldn't look away from him. She couldn't keep running.

"You know what? Why don't you and I go have a little chat you bitch."

Ashley's heart sank, watching the dark haired boy come over and grab hard onto her left arm. Ashley shook her head in protest, but Wade simply glared her down. She let out a squeak of pain as he harshly tugged her out of her seat.

"Let me go!" She finally managed to say, the pain in her upper arm searing into her as he tightened his grip.

"Shut up."

"Let me _GO_!"

Ashley wriggled more, her feeble attempts at keeping her feet glued to the ground quickly overthrown while Wade pulled her out of the library.

"Ow!"

The ginger cried out as she was thrown against the brick wall of the library outside. She squeezed her eyes shut, keeping in her tears though she wanted to cry. The back of her skull was throbbing from the violent impact of being physically pushed into the wall. Wade smirked as she opened her glossy eyes.

"Now, let me teach you a-"

 _Crack._

In one swift motion, Ashley watched Wade's body shift, his mouth making an unusual position. His jaw seemed to unhinge itself, moving far more to the left than it should when it was perfectly fine. It was like slow motion in front of her, yet it was over so quickly that she had no idea what had actually happened.

"What the-"

"Who in the hell do you think you are, pal?" A masculine voice uttered from Ashley's right side.

She turned her head slowly to meet the stranger that had knocked Wade on the floor in one fell swoop.

Tall, chiseled chin with stubble growing on it. Brown eyes and lips that were pulled into a thin line, with short dark brown hair atop his head. Flannel shirt over a white wife beater, a pair of jeans covering his bottom half.

Wade fixated his gaze onto the man and let out a growl of rage.

"Who the hell are you?"

A snort flowed out of the brown haired mans nose. "Someone who gets pissed when a supposed 'man' picks on a lovely woman." He walked over to Wade, leaning down and grabbing onto the black shirt that Wade was wearing. Pulling it into a fist and lifting him from the ground, blue eyes pierced into grey. "Now you listen here _pal_ , you say anything to her again," He stopped his sentence. "No, if you get near her again, she will tell me, and I will kick the ever living shit out of you." He growled out. "And that is not a lie."

He dropped him onto the ground, and Wade stumbled backwards before glaring at between Ashley and the man. Turning he mouthed some words that Ashley didn't catch, then bolted off down the sidewalk.

"Well, well, well. It's been a while." The man pulled a familiar smile onto his face, cheeks wrinkling slightly.

" _Mike?!_ "

* * *

"Sam, believe me. Josh is fine. He's with me."

Chris heard a muffled, staticy reply, his blue eyes dilating with impatience. Josh smirked beside him as he mimicked an irritated Sam over the phone. Biting his lip, he held in laughter as Sam called for his attention again.

"Chris, that's why I don't believe that he is fine!" Sam yelled through the receiver. "He always coaxes you to get him out of his appointments or hide him away from me!"

Chris scoffed in mock hurt at her statement, but knew that he should give up the act soon. He didn't need Ashley to hear about this and then lecture him on 'the rights and wrongs of what friends should do for friends'.

"Chris! Seriously!" The blonde called to him, and he decided to listen to her. "Make sure that he is on his best behavior! He knows he's in trouble because you helped him skip his appointment before!" She sighed in frustration. "Look, I just want him to be okay. I want to make sure that he isn't have anymore nitemares."

"Sam-"

"Alright, Cochise. The jig is up, hand me the phone."

Josh's hand reached out to his best friends cellular device in order to take it from him. He motioned his fingers for Chris to hand it over.

"Come on, dude. Let me talk to the lady, unless you want her to be more pissed at you for not letting her talk to me." A gentle smirk and flashing humorous eyes landed on Chris', his hand wandering over until Josh clutched the phone.

He pulled it out of Chris' loose hand and up to his own ear, walking off to get some privacy from prying listeners. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Like I really want to get in on your conversation, bro." He mumbled out, eyes drifting around the sidewalk, up to the stairs of the public library that was sitting tall and daunting.

He knew that Ashley was probably in there, studying away with her history book tucked neatly between her hand and elbow, while her other hand rested gently on her cheek. Either that or her cute button nose was stuffed into a non fiction about the lives of many famous, and so not so famous people. Even ones that did nothing but terrible things to the world. Sometimes he even found her completely stuffed into a fiction book that caught her eye with so much of an intensity that she'd have it done in only a couple of days. He could feel his chapped lips raise on his face. He would never be able to do that, mostly because he always enjoyed stuffing his nose into electronics and what not. A small flutter in his heart made itself known as he thought about how different she and he were in some aspects. He supposed that was one of the many things he loved about her. Her eyes, her smile, her hair. How she felt when she was hugging him or when she was snuggled up on top of him while they watched some show or movie on in the background; although he was usually far too busy listening to her giggle or talk about what should be happening on the television.

"Bro." Josh grabbed his shoulder and turned Chris towards himself. "Here's your phone. Now, we should probably go to the appointment before Sam gets even more mad at me."

Chris laughed at the tan skinned male and let a smirk grow on his face. "Next time, I'm definitely not going to help you with trying to skip it."

Josh pursed his lips, a disbelieving look crossing his features. "Dude, you say that every time."

"Yeah, yeah." He said, lifting his hands in defeat. A smile formed from his smirk and he punched Josh lightly in the shoulder. I knew I shouldn't of come with you when we both knew that Sam would get mad. Now I'm in trouble too." Chris joked, his smile turning back to the smirk as he turned with Josh to walk across the street to where his doctors office was.

"Let's just get this over with so I can get back to jamming Sammy." Dark green eyes winked over at Chris, the blond kneeling over to pretend vomit before they crossed the road.

* * *

It felt awkward to Ashley as she looked across the table, Mike's eyes trained on hers as he took another sip of his bottle of Sprite. He had an 'I know we haven't talked in a while, but it's nice to see you'. She gave him a polite smile in return as she gripped onto the book now that they were back in the library.

The librarian had given her a stern look when she walked back in, though Mike explained the ordeal that was going on. Even then, the librarian gave her a warning that if it happened again, she'd have to turn in her card and not come back for a while. That had broken Ashley's heart, though she did talk the older woman into having an eye out in case Wade tried to come back.

"So, how have you been?" Mike asked cautiously, not exactly sure if it was okay to pry into her life.

"I'm uh, I'm doing good. How about yourself?" The ginger replied, her green eyes gazing around the room, trying to find something to make her feel more comfortable. After all, she hadn't been in the best relationship with Mike.

Honestly, after what happened between Mike, Emily and Matt, she wasn't sure how she should feel about Mike. She certainly didn't appreciate what he had in between Emily and Matt, having them fight and argue about her cheating on him with her ex, but she couldn't bring herself to hate him. After all, she didn't know all the sides of the story, therefore she couldn't judge.

Mike nodded to her response finally, his chocolate orbs finding her grassy green ones.

"I uh. I'm doing, you know?" He couched lightly into his hands before taking a small swig of his soda. "Listen, have you uh, have you heard? About Emily?"

Ashley raised her brow at that. What about Emily? Was she hurt?

"That she's going to have a kid." Mike deadpanned.

A looking of recognition crossed her features, her mouth opening into the shape of an 'o'. She nodded in his direction, letting him know that she indeed had heard the news.

"That's why I came back." The brunet explained, his eyes looking for somewhere else to look asides from the red head across from him. "I wanted to see how she was doing." He coughed again, and Ashley knew that something wasn't okay.

"Why didn't you just call and ask her?"

Mike squirmed barely noticeably in his seat, though Ashley could tell by the small movement. He took in a deep breath before shifting his gaze to hers, then away once more.

"How far along is she?"

The ginger, taken aback by this remark took a moment to think about how far along she was. Last time that she had seen Emily, Matt had proclaimed that she was two months. However, it had been quite a while since she had seen him either, and she, along with most of her friends knew that she wouldn't just casually chat with Emily. They didn't have the best history, with her cheating on Matt with Mike.

Then, it dawned on her. Her facial expression hardened slightly as she stared at Mike.

"Three, probably halfway to four months."

Mike let out a breath of relief at this statement, and Ashley sent a small glare in his direction at that.

"Thank god." He breathed out.

"What do you mean 'thank god'?! Did Emily cheat on Matt again?! Are you cheating on Jessica again?!" She hissed out, her teeth gritting hard as her jaw clenched tightly. Mike's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. "Then why the hell are you so pleased to learn that she's only a few months in, Mike."

A tight line pulled itself onto his face, his eyes glossy while his hands found themselves sitting on the wooden table. He let out a slow breath then looked into Ashley's eyes.

"I guess I'm just glad that I get to see her have her baby before I go back to flight school for the Air Force."

* * *

Ashley hugged Chris when she saw him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his body as she tumbled into him, her shorter frame coming underneath his chin.

"Well hello to you too, Ash." The blond looked down to his girlfriend who was snuggling up to his chest. He wasn't expecting her to be at his place when he got back from school and work, though he had no problem with it either.

"I saw Mike today." She stated quickly before looking up, leaving a small peck on Chris' lips. Chris raised his brow at her. "He's in the Air Force."

 **BAM! Woohoo! Chapter six is DONE! So, how'd everybody like it :D Please no flames, but constructive criticism is welcome. I hope you guys like that Mike is a Military man, he seems more the type to do that than be in college, honestly. This story isn't completely accurate to the game, as you can tell by the fact that Matt is also in college when he is actually a high school student.**

 **Anyways, I'm super excited to keep going! Tell me how you like it!**


	7. Incorrect interpretations

**Shit happens.**

 _Meow._

Chris cracked his eyes open slightly, sleepy blue orbs staring into the green eyes of the cat that was sitting on his chest. Jade's soft pink nose lightly nuzzled his own, the grey fur around the textured snout mixing with the pink. With his glasses on his nitestand, he couldn't exactly see the edges where it switched from soft nose to fluffy fur. Then again, she was so fluffy with her long soft fur that he couldn't tell normally where her nose ended and her fluff started. He let out a small yawn, watching the blurry cat shuffle closer to him, her soft paws sitting on his chest. She began shifting her paws in a manner that Ashley would call 'making biscuits'; a loud purr rumbled from her throat while she closed her grassy eyes in content.

Chris was confused as he lifted his hand and rubbed on one of her ears lightly between his fingers, the fur cozy against his skin.

She had done this before of course, but only to her 'mother', Ashley. Who at the current moment of three fifteen in the morning, as his clock stated, was not here as she and Sam had plans that nite. The blond let out a small breath, as to not startle the cat. He'd rather not get claw marks on his chest and then have Ashley ask about them the next time they saw each other.

Or not.

He hadn't exactly been shirtless in front of her. In fact, the only time that she had seen a lot of his skin, and that he had seen a lot of hers, was when they would go swimming in the summertime over at Josh's house. A flush spread quickly over Chris' cheeks as he thought about her smooth skin.

"No." He grunted to himself, his voice deeper as it hadn't been in use while he had been sleeping. "No, stop it Chris, go back to sleep."

The purring grew louder from Jade as she attempted to shuffle even closer to the slightly rustled boy, then leaning in to give his nose a rough lick from her papilled tongue.

"Cat." The blond called out quietly, retracting his hand and putting it at his side.

 _Meow._

Chris sighed loudly this time in hopes that the cat, not his cat but Ashley's cat, would remove herself from the premises that was his chest. He wanted to turn onto his side and go back to bed, but Jade was relentless in giving in.

 _Meow._

"How did you even get into my room cat?" He stared at her green eyes that were now opened slightly while her throat rumbled louder.

Jade leaned down and rested her forehead on Chris' chin before setting her paws underneath her chest and deciding that was the best spot to completely fall asleep in. A small snort sounded from the boy, and he remembered seeing her do this to Ashley when they would lay down on his couch while Chris was doing homework.

Without speaking, Chris closed his eyes and let Jade win tonite. After all, he never got to spend time or feel liked at all by this cat. It felt nice.

* * *

"Chris!" Ashley yelled out, running up and latching herself around the blonds body while he hugged her back. Without missing a beat, she moved her soft locks out of her beautiful face and leaned up to press a kiss against Chris' chapped lips. "You won't believe how fun last nite was!"

Ashley's grin was radiant as she pulled Chris over to a table that was outside of the coffee shop, in which he had just gotten his morning caffeine from. Though they had been dating for quite a while now, he still felt himself flush as he watched her scoot her chair right next to his, wrapping her arms around his left arm while he sipped at his beverage.

"What did you guys even do?" He questioned, glancing over to see her staring at his drink. He smiled at her. "It's black coffee." Ashley's nose crinkled cutely at that before she took a small sip anyways.

As she set the cup back into her partners hands, she connected her gaze to his ocean blue eyes, her own peridot ones were shining. "Last nite we went to see _Spring Awakening_! It was magnificent!"

Ashley's smile was beaming as she began recalling the musical that she and Sam had went to see, explaining that it was about many teens with different problems; some were in love with the same gender, some were in love with each other and hadn't known, one of them was pregnant and there was even suicide in it. Chris couldn't help but feel his own smile tug onto his lips as he watched her eagerly telling him all the key points in it. He found it cute how excited she got over small things that seemed to thrill her so.

Without any hesitation, Chris leaned down and kissed her softly while she was staring up at him, talking about the songs that they had been singing and that her favorite one was called 'The Mirror Blue Nite'. Ashley flushed deeply when the blond pulled away, a smirk on his face while he looked into her eyes of gorgeous green.

"Does that mean you don't want to hear anymore?" She prodded jokingly, a small giggle finding its way out of her mouth and floating up her rosy cheeks all the way to Chris' ears. He shook his head at her, relishing in her sweet laughter.

"I just really wanted to kiss you right then." He stated, watching as the red head looked away, hiding some of her face behind the green sleeve of her sweater. Wait... "When did you take my sweater again?"

Ashley shrugged as she scooted closer to Chris, though she couldn't scoot any closer as the chairs legs wouldn't allow it. "The other day when I came over and you were in the shower." She mumbled softly. "I saw that it was on your dresser with the other clothes you were going to wear, so I took it and put it in my bag when you were washing up." She giggled again as Chris gave her an incredulous look.

"I was wondering where it went!" He snorted at her, giving her a grumpy face as she leaned up to kiss his 'upsetness' away. "And I just got it back..." He mumbled out as he leaned into the kiss, setting his right hand against her velvet skin.

He moved his lips slowly against hers, a tentative motion as they still couldn't fully grasp that they both wanted to kiss each other with great fervor. Ashley pressed into it, her body leaning against Chris' side more while she tightened her grip around his left arm. Emotion was washing over the both of them as Chris cupped her cheek more, brushing his thumb across it. Ashley let out a soft sigh that sent a wave of heat throughout Chris' body.

A loud cough sounded out beside the two, and they nearly fell out of their chairs as they pushed away from each other out of embarrassment at being caught kissing in public.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Chris and Ashley glanced up at a slightly flustered Mike, his brown eyes looking away from the two young adults who had just been indulging in...well, themselves.

"Uh, no, uh," Chris took a moment to think about his words while Ashley hid her face against Chris' jacket sleeve. "Sorry, we don't normally-"

"Make out in public?"

Chris and Ashley flushed deeper, and the two of them averted their gazes from Mike, and instead at the ground. Ashley nodded mutely, her cheeks ablaze with heat. Chris glanced as Ashley before finally bringing his gaze back up to Mike, who was pulling out one of the chairs and seating himself across from the couple.

"So, how's everything going?" He asked curtly, brown eyes gazing at Chris with curiosity as the blonds girlfriend attempted to fuse into his arm.

The tech geek gave a small shrug. "Asides from school and working most of the time, pretty good. Just working to make money and pay for my apartment plus schooling." He took another sip of his coffee. "I heard from Ash here that you're in the Air Force?"

Mike nodded and gave a small smile. "Yeah. It's something that my pops and I always talked about when I was back at home. I wanted to make him and my mother proud." He took a moment to breath in heavily before looking over to Ashley. "That, and I wanted to make Jess proud." He smiled warmly.

Chris raised his eyebrow. "How is she doing? I wasn't sure considering we haven't heard from you guys since graduation."

Mike smirked at this, raising his left hand while Ashley's eyes popped from her sockets.

"You guys are married?" She exclaimed incredulously. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Mike shrugged. "It was a real small gathering, only super close family. Not that we don't love you guys or anything, but it was right before I went into the Air Force. With everything that was going on right then, I didn't want to put any stress on Jess." Mike motioned to Ashley as he leaned forward. "Anyways, how's that one guy from the other day? He still fucking with you?"

It took a moment for Chris to register what Mike had said. Fucking with her? He turned his confused look to Ashley, who seemed to be frantically mouthing 'shut up' and 'he doesn't know'. A feeling of dread rose up inside of Chris as every worry of her leaving him or cheating on him flooded into his heart. Grabbing harshly onto his coffee cup, he stood quickly, surprising both of the persons who he had been chatting with.

"I need to go." He said shortly, his eyes seeming to blaze with a short fuse as he promptly stormed off.

"Wait, Chris! It's not what you might think!" Ashley called out, standing quickly to run after him, but Mike grabbed onto her wrist and held her back with a firm grip.

He shook his head, saying that he needed a minute. The green eyes of the red head burned with anger while Mike frowned deeply.

"I'm sorry." He barked sarcastically. "I figured since you two are dating that he should know about something like this." The dark haired male stated simply. Ashley gave him a small glare that he matched. "Listen, it shouldn't be a surprise that he walked off."

"He should have let me explain first!" Ashley challenged back, ripping her wrist from his grip.

"And you should have told him in the first place!" Mike shook his head while he stood up. "You know what, you can say whatever you want, but when you're getting bullied by someone who is putting his hands on you that create bruises," He motioned to Ashley's arms, where he remembered seeing to growing bruise. "And calling you terrible names, your partner should know. I get that Chris isn't the toughest guy we know, but for fucks sake Jes-" Mike cut himself off, and Ashley realized that Mike must've had this same talk with his wife. "God dammit, Ash. Next time just fucking tell him before he goes off in a fit like this. It's going to take him a minute to not be pissed about this."

A grumble came from the shorter girl as she stared at the ground in irritation, but she knew that Mike was correct.

Sighing, she turned to where Chris had strutted off in anger and she pulled his sweater closer to her. "I wish I wasn't so stupid..."

"You were being stubborn, not stupid. You thought you could handle it, right?" Mike said matter of factly. Green orbs glared into brown again. "Well? I'm right aren't I. Believe me, I've had this talk with Jess. I assume you've guessed that considering I yelled out her name first when scolding you. Like I said," He lifted his hand up and sat it on the slightly hostile girls shoulder. "Next time, just tell him. It'll save all this petty drama shit."

Rolling her eyes, Ashley grit her teeth. "And now I remember the reasons why I didn't ever talk with you much." She shrugged her shoulder, watching Mike's hand slide off.

"Yeah, you weren't exactly my cup of tea either," Mike retorted. "But it's still nice to chat with you every once in a while."

Nodding in response, she had to give it to him there. When they hadn't seen each other in a while it was quite nice to exchange how they've been doing, but now it just seemed to make things much worse.

Mike lifted his hand and waved to Ashley. "Alright, I'll see you later. Hopefully when everything is better than now." She watched him walk away before turning on her heel and promptly following where Chris had went, hoping to find him soon.

* * *

Matt had been bombarding Ashley's phone over what had happened between her and Chris. She had decided to confide in her best friend because she knew that she couldn't handle this alone. Her mind wouldn't let her just sit down and think on how to apologize. Rather, her mind flew off the handle.

"Matt," The ginger sobbed into the receiver, her right hand holding tightly onto her jaw while her phone sat cradled between her shoulder and ear. Ashley placed her left hand against her forehead and another cry racked itself through her. "Matt, I didn't mean to hurt him, but I didn't want him to know. I didn't want him to take matters into his own hands." She huffed out a breath of air in order to slow her breathing, but to no avail. "For god's sake, we both know that he isn't used to fighting, or even much physical activity. He can handle himself, sure, but not in a fight, Matt."

"Ash, it's okay, I need you to steady your breathing, though." The dark boy instructed to her. " I understand where you're coming from and surprisingly where Mike is coming from, too. But that doesn't mean you need to take everything he said to heart, okay?" Matt spoke evenly into the phone, giving Ashley a sense of calm as he talked her down from her emotional high.

"I'm sorry for always seeming to do this to you, Matty." Ashley's timid voice said quietly. "I know you're busy with Emily and the baby coming, plus your jobs and the fact that you have to make sure you have enough to pay for your new house." The girl stopped, feeling as if she was rambling on too much. "It's just that I trust you more than my other friends." The red head let out a melancholy laugh. "And if I could, I'd talk to Chris about this, but he won't answer my calls or texts."

Matt took a moment before he began to reply to Ashley, as he was slightly baffled at this. "He won't answer you? But he's always got his phone on him. I mean, damn, he barely every puts that thing down."

Making a noise in agreement to Matt, Ashley bit her bottom lip in order to keep from letting out any other sobs that were still hidden inside of her. "I know, that's what worries me even more. My calls just go to his voicemail and he hasn't been answering my texts." She took in a deep breath. "I'm so scared I messed up too bad this time."

"You messed up? Ashley. You were just trying to be a good girlfriend and not worry him because you can handle yourself, whether Mike believes you can or not." The dark brown eyed boy said, letting out a short chuckle, remembering what Ashley had told him about he encounter with Mike. "Look, if you messed up for trying to keep Chris out of something when you could, or believed you could handle it, then I've messed up my whole relationship since I've been with Em." Ashley gave a small giggle at that. "And I got her to laugh!" Matt excitedly said as Ashley gave out another giggle.

"Yeah yeah," She could feel her whole body was much more relaxed throughout her short conversation with Matt. "Alright, I'll let you go for now, I need to go and find Chris. Thanks for letting me get everything out." She smiled into the phone as her friend told her that it was okay and he'd always be there for her. "Bye Matty."

Ashley clicked end call before pulling up Chris' phone contact and sending him another text.

* * *

What was this, the fortieth time that she had sent him a text to 'please for the love of god, answer your phone' message to Chris? She scrolled up her messages, counting each one before letting out a loud sigh while she sat outside of his apartment door. Her hand grasped hard onto her numb legs as she had been sitting there for a while, slowly pleading Chris to open the door.

"Fourty seventh..." She mumbled out, pulling her keys to her face that were hanging around her neck via lanyard.

She glanced them over she didn't know how many times. Of course she wanted to tuck Chris' key into his apartment door and walk in, facing Chris and attempting to explain to him the whole situation that was going on and that it had nothing to do with her cheating on him or anything. Well, at least that's what she figured he was thinking. With as happy as they were, she knew that Chris had low self esteem about that kind of thing, just like she did. They were both afraid that they other would leave for someone else; _better_ , as they had both put it to each other one nite when they were having an emotional talk.

Pulling her phone up to her ear, she listened to the connecting sound before being taking straight to her boyfriends voicemail. She grit her teeth again, listing to his goofy message before hitting 'end call' and tossing her phone to the side. She really messed up, as Chris never turned his phone off, and barely ever let it die. The first five times she had called, he had simply ignored her by letting his phone ring until it went to voicemail; or at least that's what she thought. Had she hurt him so much and then annoyed him to the point of the boy turning off his phone?

She huffed out some air as her heart squeezed in her chest. Looking down as she saw Jade's tiny cat paw peek from under the apartment door and grab onto the back of her sweater. She stiffened, taking the sweater off. _Chris'_ sweater. Not hers.

Ashley folded the soft material into a neat square before letting her fingers slide down and letting the grey cat paw grip onto her fingers.

 _Meow._

For a moment, Ashley nearly thought that Jade was asking if she was okay. And in that brief moment, tears finally cascaded down her cheeks, pouring from her eyes like the storm that she was holding inside.

The sobs burst from her closed mouth before she could stop it, and she found herself curled up with her back pressed against Chris' door in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Chris, please open the door..." She cried out, her sobs over taking her normal voice, and instead making it come out shaking and weak. "Please let me explain, please Chris, I'm sorry."

Ashley turned her head and began pounding on the door with her left fist. It failed quickly, though, as her hand soon feel limply to her side. She didn't want to upset Chris anymore than he was. She pulled her phone up to her eye level, clicking the power button. It read six seventeen. She had been sitting there for three hours. Three hours and she heard nothing from Chris inside. Her eyes darted down her screen. Tuesday. Why did she feel like she was missing something?

"Please answer your phone," She muttered out, dialing the blonds number and listening to it go to voicemail again. She sobbed harder at this, wishing that she would have just told Chris in the first place, that way this would've never happened. "I'm sorry."

 _Meow._

The ginger heard soft purring come from the other side of the door while Jade mewed a few more times, possibly attempting to get her to come inside. Uttering a low chuckle out, she curled up against the door in a more comfortable position with her side against the wood while she still held onto Jade's little paw.

She knew that it was futile to call Chris again, so instead she decided to stay and wait outside his apartment until he decided to open the door and hopefully let her explain herself.

* * *

A low growl came from the blue eyed boys throat as he looked once more at his shattered phone. Damn Josh. Why had he went and grabbed Chris' phone when he had a perfectly good one?

 _"Because you need more photos of us bro! I'm starting to feel like you love Ash more than you love me."_

Josh had exclaimed and forcefully pulled Chris' phone out of his hand. Chris quickly tried to grab it back, as he had finally wanted to check and see if he had any missed calls or texts. He had put it on silent while he was fuming over his fight with Ashley earlier, but now he wanted to write her and apologize for storming off.

In one flash of a moment, Chris watched his phone slip from Josh's hand and onto the concrete as they walked to work. Even worse than the screen cracking in slow motion was that it fell into a puddle from the days previous rain. So he knew then that his phone was completely ruined.

"Thanks Josh." Chris snorted out as he finally walked up to the glass doors of his apartment complex.

He was ready to get inside and go to sleep. Glancing at his watch, Chris figured that just going to sleep was the best plan considering that it was nearing ten at nite and he still had school in the morning.

The blond listened to his footsteps echo across the walls in the quiet hallway while he turned the corner to walk to his door. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw something leaning outside of his door. No, not something.

 _Someone._

Chris couldn't say that he was surprised that his girlfriend was at his place, but honestly he figured she'd have gone inside if she was planning on sleeping. Walking around her quietly, he noticed her left hand was gripping onto her keys, holding out his between two fingers while her other hand was down beside the under of the door. A small smile lit on his features. Jade's paw was underneath the door, clutching onto Ashley's fingers.

"Jesus Ash." He reached his hand up and cupped her cheek like he had earlier that day. "What're you doing out here?"

Maneuvering himself so that she was leaning against him, Chris picked her up with some effort. He wasn't the most fit guy out there, he knew and he actually knew he could admit it. Unlocking his door was more complicated while he was holding her than he thought it would be, though he managed and as soon as he opened the door he walked in, shutting it with his foot. He walked over to his bedroom, glad that he kept the door open, and set his girlfriend onto his bed. Chris grabbed the comforter that was messy, as he didn't fix his bed all that often, and tucked the small girl into the covers.

The blond leaned in to give Ashley a gentle kiss on the temple while he heard the cat jump onto the bed. Swatting at Chris without claws, to simply threaten that she would do it, she crawled up to Ashley's neck and slept there as she had when she was a kitten.

Chris walked out of his room, deciding instead of falling asleep to check out what was on television before joining his girlfriend in his room.

* * *

"Are you that mad at me?"

Chris opened his eyes groggily as he tried remembering what he was doing. His lower back ached as he stretched his body knowing instantly that he was sitting on his couch and had fallen asleep on it.

"What?"

"Chris, you can't be that mad that you won't even sleep in the same place right?"

Powder blue eyes began to focus, and the blond noticed that his girlfriend was kneeling down in front of him, her peridot eyes brimming with tears. He felt confusion swell through his body as he waited for her to continue what she was talking about, until it flooded back onto him. He remembered the feud that they had, though he didn't want to bring it up again.

"Look Chris, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Ashley began, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I just really didn't want you to get involved because I know that you don't like fighting with people, even if they're upsetting someone that is important to you." She bit her bottom lip for the umpteenth time that day. "And I know that you get extremely over protective when someone hurts an important person in your life, and I just really didn't want you to get into a fight you might not be able to handle," Chris gave her a curious look. "And I know now that I should've just told you from the beginning that Wade was still messing with me and that it's gotten worse, but I was scared of bringing you in-"

"Wait wait wait," Chris put his hands up as he stood onto his feet, his back cracking painfully as he leaned down and lifted Ashley to her feet as well. "This wasn't about you finding someone else that you were interested in?"

Ashley gave Chris a perplexed look before horror flickered across her eyes. "Oh god, no!" She pulled him tightly against her as she leaned up and kissed him frantically. "No, no, no Chris." She said between kisses.

Chris pulled away, cradling her face in his hands. He was smiling before pulling her in for another kiss. "I'm so glad that it wasn't what I thought." Chris stepped back as he took in a quite breath. "Ash, I get that you didn't want to get me involved with this because honestly, I know I probably couldn't handle it. But please, next time let me try to help, okay?" He kissed her again. "I don't want you to have to handle this kind of thing on your own again."

The red head smiled in agreement as she trailed her hands down his arms and began pulling him into his bedroom.

"I think it's time to go back to bed. This time in an actual bed." She leaned on her tiptoes as she kissed his again. She smiled before speaking softly. "I love you, Chris."

The blond was shocked into silence as Ashley said this to him, but he could feel his heart flutter with incredible speed. "I love you too, Ash."

 **Wow look at this! Super long chapter (not really that long at all haha). I truly hope that you guys enjoy this, I've been working on it for quite a bit, but I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately as well. So anyways, no flames please. Constructive criticism welcome!**

 **Also, the first time that Chris and Ash have said I love you! I wanted to wait until an emotional moment where they were making up for her to finally say it and for him to reply c:**

 **Alrighty, thanks guys.**


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